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Ziggy couldn’t breathe. His body was wrecked with shudders and silent sobs. He wasn’t gonna cry, his brother was alive, Pyke was alive, everyone was alive. He didn’t resist when the Sarouk troops put the cuffs on him. Pyke was gonna be treated by actual doctors. Rett was allowed to go with him. Pyke wasn’t alone. Ko and Pixel were in another room,
They were in a cell because of him.
Ziggy sat in the interrogation room. Rett told him to stay silent, so did his brother, his dad was likely to say the same thing. Ziggy was on the brink of full fledged panic. He was alone for now. Maybe Kalakus was in the same hospital as Pyke and Rett. Pyke was alive, he’d woken up, he was ok. Pixel and Rett had saved him. Ziggy almost lost everyone tonight, he was exhausted but he was awake.
He needed an energy drink, or something to eat. He hadn’t really eaten in a while. The trip to Krayta had been sort of a blur of being down in the brig with Meg, sleep then a quick spray of sword and then repeat. He didn’t remember when he actually last sat down and ate, maybe his birthday?
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Oh god his birthday, he was 25 now. Happy birthday to him, he hadn’t really even thought about it until now. They were meant to be celebrating then going on a bounty to get that bitch that tried to kill Kal.
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Someone had tried to kill Kal, she tried to kill Kal. She almost killed Pyke or whatever person she was serving? Ziggy couldn’t tell at this point, he was just so tired of people trying to kill his family. He was just so tired. He really just wanted to talk to Rett. Or Ko. He wanted to talk to someone. Maybe he’d talk to a lawyer soon. Some big shot guy that dad would hire, or maybe the guild heard and sent one.
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Ziggy was a bounty hunter, he had a license and everything. Pyke had gotten it for him. He’d helped him actually get the damn thing. Pyke almost died.
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Ziggy thought about it, his mind racing with everything that happened since they had gotten to Krayta.
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Pyke did die tonight.
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Ziggy began to breathe harder against the table.
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Pyke was dead.
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Ziggy pushed out and found the corner of the room and sat down in it. Putting his hands up against his face, pressing his palms into the soft skin around his eyes.
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Ziggy had pushed them all to Krayta. He’d told them all that they needed to save his brother. They had to save Kal. Kal didn’t deserve to die, he didn’t need to die.
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But did Pyke deserve to die instead?
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Ziggy could see stars, and could hear his blood coursing through his ears.
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Ziggy had killed Pyke, Ziggy let him die.
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Ziggy had killed 50 people, he had let them die. He had landed the final blow on the viceroy before he seemingly came back. Ziggy had killed with glee and hadn’t cared. He was a monster.
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Ziggy thought about it. He was a monster. When he was next to the crew, he was the monster. He was the one who you’d see on the outside. Pyke and Rett were handsome, Ko was a badass, Pixel was a rockstar, and Ziggy was a monster.
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Ziggy had brought the crew to doom and had brought Pyke to his death.
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A sob broke out of Ziggy’s chest, a guttural and heartbreaking one. Ziggy was a loser. He didn’t deserve any inch of the gratitude that the crew had ever given him. Pyke was scared, terrified when he woke up. ZIggy caused that. Pyke had given him that card, that card that Rex had destroyed, or at least what Pyke thought was close to it.
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Pyke had already died for him once, back during the days alone. Those days of looking into Empire servers and being alone. Ziggy would always be alone. Ziggy wasn’t made for being with people, he was made for being alone. Ztigmond Woog was never supposed to be with a crew.
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“Ziggy?’
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Ziggy curled further into himself, he wasn’t supposed to get any comfort. He killed Pyke. Why should anyone have any sympathy for a murder like him? The person on the Rhapsody with a multi digit kill count. A court of arms lifted him and he heard people moving. Maybe Ziggy was dying? Maybe this was the gods punishing him.
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“Zigs, are you alright?”
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Nobody should touch him. He only brought death to those who touched him.
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There was a hand on his face, pulling his palms away from his eyes. His skin burned as the hands went away. His tears were burning his skin, scales soaked with salt.
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“Ziggy talk to me kid.”
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Pyke?
Was Ziggy dead?
Was that the voice that had come back from the dead or was it the voice of the dead?
Maybe the dynasty had finally put Ziggy out of his misery.
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“Kid, you need to talk to me. It's alright kid.”
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Ziggy opened his eyes, his vision a blur of purple and pink. “Pyke?” Ziggy’s mouth was so dry. He was so tired.
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Pyke came into view, Rett following. Pyke was sickly pale but he was alive. He was alive, he wasn’t dead. Ziggy hadn’t killed him. Ziggy collapsed into the solari, sobbing into the older man’s shoulder. He was talking but he couldn’t even filter what he was saying. He wasn’t saying anything. It was like he was just outside of his body.
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“Kid are you ok?” Pyke asked, rubbing a small circle into his back.
“Are we dead?” Ziggy asked, voice small and uncertain.
“No kid but we are in a holding cell” Pyke responded. His voice was bass and Ziggy could feel it through his skull, “They had to bring you back in because you weren’t responding to anyone. Hell your brother was trying and you were so out of it. Ziggy are you ok?”
“You are alright?” Ziggy asked
“Kid you are shaking like a leaf, are you ok?” Pyke’s hands were still on his back. He was holding him.
“You’re ok?” Ziggy asked again.
“Kid Im fine, Rett is fine, Kal is fine, Pixel is fine, Ko is fine. Everyone is fine.”
“You died.” Ziggy said softly
There was a small intake of breath. “Yah kid, I did.”
“I thought you were gone.” A tired lilt to Ziggy’s voice.
“I’m here kid, I promise I’m here.” Pyke sighed, “I can’t promise I will always be here but I’m promising that I’m here now.”
“Pyke” Rett’s voice on edge.
“I don’t wanna lie to him.”
Rett’s death glare gave Ziggy a chill. “Pyke?” Ziggy asked again.
“Yeah Kid?” Pyke and Rett’s staring contest ended.
“Can we go home now?” Ziggy asked with a yawn.
“In a bit Kid.” Pyke sighed into himself.
Ziggy sank into Pyke’s chest. He felt bad. He was huge compared to the skin and bones of Pyke. Ziggy just wanted to make sure everything was alright. Pyke smelled like his cigarettes and Pixels perfume. There was another hand on his back. Metal and cooled. Rett was there too.
Everyone was safe. Hopefully everyone was safe. Ziggy was gonna be sick but he let his body relax. He swallowed down the golf ball that had landed in his throat. He had to pretend for Pyke. Ziggy was just so tired. He was so tired of the entire day. He wanted to go home. He wanted to pet Hank. He wanted to get to know Meg better. He wanted to have Kal visit the Rhapsody. He wanted to eat some meal that Rett made and eat every treat that Pixel would stress bake. He wanted Ko to punch him in the stomach, for everyone including him to laugh while he puked. He wanted Pyke to be smoking in the background, shaking his head at the chaos.
He wanted to be home.